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larly, from the opening to the closing of the season it is safe to as- 

 sume that one thousand men, women and children will go out into 

 the bottoms above and below the city for a day's fishing, and all 

 take some fish from the waters. Once each year these lakes are 

 filled by the overflow from the Mississippi river, but after a few 

 weeks, at most, the fishing is poor. If the fish taken from them 

 could be accounted for, few would ever ask why there were none 

 left in the lakes. The amount of fish taken from the Illinois waters 

 with hook and line during the season would seem fabulous if it 

 could be ascertained. Everything, large or small, that will take a 

 hook, is kept and strung and brought home, if only to be thrown 

 away. 



The work of the seine, under proper regulation, is not nearly so 

 fatal to the increase of the game fishes as is the promiscuous tak- 

 ing with hook and line. To this we refer in another part of this 

 report. 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 



We would respectfully recommend that the law creating wardens 

 be so amended as to divide the State into large districts, appoint 

 wardens to each, and compensate them for their work; that all fines 

 collected be turned over to the Secretary of State and be applied to 

 a fund to pay the salaries of the wardens, and that proper pro- 

 vision be made to insure the collection and remittance of fines when 

 imposed. 



We would also respectfully recommend that the fish laws be so 

 amended as to make it the duty of the Fish Commissioners, or per- 

 sons authorized by them, to confiscate and destroy all illegal fishing 

 tackle, wherever found, and make the possession of such illegal 

 tackle a violation of the law. Also that a close season be made to 

 <;over the spawning season of fish, and prohibit their being taken 

 by any device whatever during such close season. 



We would also recommend that the size limit, as applied to those 

 varieties mentioned in the body of this report, be reduced to cor- 

 respond with the adult size of these fishes. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



We desire to acknowledge our indebtedness to the railroad man- 

 agements of the State. In our work we have had no better friends 

 than they have been. They have proven their interest in our work 

 in a very practical way, and have placed us under repeated obliga- 

 tions. 



To the press of the State we are indebted for full accounts of our 

 work, and descriptions of our methods, etc. Public attention has 

 been frequently called to our distributions of fish, and the move- 

 ments of the cars and boat. Very much of the increased public in- 

 terest in the protection of fish is due to the influence of the news- 

 papers. 



To the various clubs throughout the State we are deeply indebted 

 for valuable assistance. 



